[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 79 (Monday, May 13, 2019)]
[Senate]
[Page S2775]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       NATIONAL FOSTER CARE MONTH

  Mr. GRASSLEY. Mr. President, May is National Foster Care Month.
  Due to the opioid crisis and other substance abuse issues plaguing 
communities in Iowa and all across America, the number of kids in 
foster care is rapidly rising. In 2017, there were 443,000 kids in 
care. Ninety-six thousand entered foster care because of parental 
substance abuse.
  These families need help. That is why Congress passed the Family 
First Prevention Services Act, which will allow States to receive 
Federal reimbursement for services to help keep kids with their 
parents. These services include substance abuse treatment programs.
  As we celebrate this month of May as National Foster Care Month, I 
hope we will think about the number of kids who are there and do what 
we can to help those kids have permanency and parents. As chairman of 
the Caucus on Foster Youth, those are the two things I hear from them 
when listening to them talk about going from foster home to foster 
home, sometimes two or three times a year. They tell me they would like 
to have parents and they would like to have a home. They want 
stability.
  I yield the floor.

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